Frank casto



(No Model.)

F. OASTO.

- I PITMAN UONNEGTION.

No. 422,914. Patented Mar. 11, 1890.

H/J ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK OASTO, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT I J.PERKS, OF SAME PLACE.

PlTMAN-CONNECTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 422,914, dated March11, 1890.

Application filed December 2, 1889.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK O AsTO, a citizen of the United States,residing at Spring field, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Pitman Connections, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inpitman-connections, and is specially designed for use in connection withharvesters, mowers, and grain-binders, though applicable to othermachines.

The object of the invention is to provide a connection between thepitman wrist-pin and the cutter-bar or other operated device in suchmanner that the wrist-pin shall be capable of a wide range of movementsin the eye of the bar, while a spring shall act to maintain an intimatecontact between the wristpin and the eye, so that all lost motion due tothe Wear of the parts shall be prevented and rattling ofthe partsavoided, and the strains brought by the pitman utilized to draw thewrist-pin more firmly against the bar.

Another object of the invention is to secure the pitman. on thewrist-pin, so that the latter shall. be adjustable within the eye of theformer, and the former adapted to engage the spring and regulate itstension.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like reference-letters indicate correspondingparts, Figure 1represents a plan view of a portion of a cutter-bar and a sectional viewof my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2, a front elevation thereof,and Fig. 3 a detail sectional view showing a modified form of spring anda modification in the means of adjusting the tension of the spring.

For the purpose of enabling an understanding of the invention it isillustrated in connection with the cutter-bar of a harvester, mower, orgrain binder, though, as before stated, it may be used in othermachines.

The letter Adesignates the cutter bar hav .ing the usual blades B andprovided at one end with an eye 0. The end of the eye adjacent to thepitman is contracted in diame Serial No- 332.1 75. (No model.)

ter, so as to form curved walls D, within which is constituted the seatfor the reception of the wrist-pin. This pin consists of a head E and ashank F, the former being spherical and adapted to fit snugly within theeye of the cutter-bar. The shank passes through the eye and isscrew-threaded. The pitman G has a screw-threaded opening,into which thewrist-pin is screwed, and a jam-nut II is screwed upon the pin andagainst the pitman to prevent the possibility of the pin becoming looseand turning in the pitman.

Inthe form illustrated in Fig. 1 the pitman constitutes the shoulderagainst which presses one end of a spiral spring I, which by preferenceis tapered, the larger coil fitting within the recess J, formed aboutthe eye 0, and in the cutter-bar. It will be noticed that this springexerts a strong press.- ure against'the pitman, and thereby draws7o thehead of the wrist-pin snugly down into its seat and keeps it thereirrespective of wear and strains. The tension of the spring may bevaried to suitcircumstances and. increased to compensate for anyweakening in the spring. The spring may be in the form of anindia-rubber annulus I, as shown in Fig. 3, or, indeed, may be of otherforms and material. In Fig. 3 it will benoticed that a nut K isinterposed between the pitman and 8c the spring for adjusting the latterand receiving its pressure. This may be used instead of depending uponthe pitman to form a shoulder. When the nut K is used, the eye of thepitman may or may not be threaded. 5 It is preferred, however, to threadit, because it adds greatly to the strength of the device, in that itmakes the connection between the wrist-pin and the pitman absolutelyfirm, which is an advantage, at the same time that it admits ofadjusting the wrist-pin within the pitman. The greater the strainsexerted by the pitman the more positive the contact and engagementbetween the cutter=bar and the wrist pin, as the pitman strains tend todraw the wrist-pin out of the eye, the curved seat of the latterresisting the head of the pin. The pin is provided with an angularcavity to receive a wrench to adjust it.

One necessity for the universal or substan- 10o tially universalconnection between the wristpin and the cutter-bar is that the latter isfrequently adjusted so as to change its position with respect to theaxis of the wrist-pin. Such adjustment binds the parts very seriouslyunless the provision of this universal connection is made, because thewrist-pin which connects the pitman to its driving disk or wheel is suchthat any twisting of the pitman will either break this pin or will bindthe pitman upon it. With the adj ustability between the wrist-pin andthe cutter-bar and the spring interposed, as set forth, thesedifficulties are entirely overcome, and the cutterbar may be adjustedaccording to the requirements in usage.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there are two leadingcharacteristics of this invention-to wit, the practically universalconnect-ion between the cutter-bar and the wrist-pin and a constantspring-press ure combined therewith, so as to maintain the intimatecontact between the wrist-pin and its seat, giving a combined universalconnection under spring-pressure, and the fact that the greater thestrains by the pitman the closer the fit between the wrist-pin and thebar, as distinguished from a tendency to separate the wrist-pin 'fromthe bar.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is v 1. The combination, with a barhaving an eye with a rounded seat, of a wrist-pin having a rounded headfitted to said seat, a pitman secured thereon, and a spring interposedbetween the parts to draw the rounded head firmly against the roundedseat.

2. The combination, with a bar having an the pitman andadjustable intension by adjusting the pitman on the wrist-pin.

4. The combination, with a bar having an eye with a rounded seat, of awrist-pin having a rounded head, a socket in the head, and a shankprovided with a screw-thread, the shank being projected through the saideye, a pitman into which the shank is screwed, a jam-nut on the shank,and a spiral spring be tween thepitman and the bar, the latter beingprovided with a recess to receive one end of the spring.

5. The combination, with a bar having an eye with a' rounded seat and acontracted opening, the seat and the opening being toward the pitmanside of the bar, of a wristpin having a rounded head fitted to said seatand a shank extended through said opening, and a pitman secured uponsaid shank, where by the strains of the pitman tend to draw the headinto and against the seat.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- FRANK CASTO.

WVitnesses:

WARREN HULL, A. J. PERKs'.

